October 28, 2005

Nine Men In: The writer and longtime Chicago icon Studs Terkel marks the end of the Black Sox curse, which began when he was 7. "If there had been real justice after the scandal of 1919, Charlie Comiskey, the Sox owner, would have been the one kicked out of the game."

I don't understand why Studs (and many others) continue to propogate the myth that folks who show up at Cubs games know nothing of the game, couldn't care less about the outcome, and are only interested in being seen at a hot spot. It's a pretty broad brush he paints with. I'm a Cub fan, have been to many games, and, while the people he maligns can be found at any given game, there remains many more who love the game and the team. Taking buses in from the suburbs? Can't the same be said of any professional team's fan base these days? Do the White Sox disproportianately draw more inner city fans than suburban fans? I don't think so. However, I do agree with Studs that the Cubs/Sox rivalry isn't what it once was when the South Side, like many American cities, had a strong manufacturing base. But those days are history, much like the outdated drivel pouring forth from one Mr Terkel.

what owlhouse said. The man is a national treasure. And now that games aren't a nickel anymore, all major teams have to rely on suburban dollars to fill their coffers and pay for things like Latrell's family and McGwire's alligator-filled moat. True, though, that much of this story reads like the rantings of an old fart, a charge to which even he would plead guilty.

True, though, that much of this story reads like the rantings of an old fart, a charge to which even he would plead guilty. If I can give a coherent interview at Turkel's age, you can call me old fart or any other name you like. Unless they get the whole clone/port brain over thing down pat by then, in which case I'll kick your snarky butt.

Terkel's a living legend, but I have to admit this essay is a bit of a shaggy dog. When he went from the Black Sox scandal to Joe Torre being booed in 1971 to Cubs fans, he reminded me of Homer Simpson's dad. Give him another 1,000 words, and he would've worked in Al Capone, the St. Valentine's Day massacre, and the Mormon exodus from Illinois in the 19th century.